Bowling alley



MMM m Q, N a pw i R\ Y 0%, wwlhwmf? Q NN m) T. R. TREIBER BOWLING ALLEY Filed Jan. 26, 1959 Oct. 29, 1940.

Patented Oct. 2 9,` 1940 Theodore R. TreiberChicago, Ill., assignor, by

mesne assignments, to Henry Gremp, Chicago, Ill.

Application January v.26, 1939, Serial No. 252,849 Y 1o Claims. (o1. 27s- 451)` l This invention relates to bowling alleys land has for its principal object to provide a bowling alley which can be easily and cheaply constructedy and erected without expensive and elaborate 5'- foundations.

A further object of the invention is to provide an improved bowling alley which may be constructed from common and inexpensive Imaterials which may be readily fabricated into units i?) easily handled and readily assembled.A`

A further object of the invention is to provide a bowling alley in which the surface may be adjusted and leveled from time to time by simple adjustments upon the structure and without any l5 changes in the foundation.

Other objects, advantages and capabilities of the invention will appear from the following description of a preferred embodiment thereof, taken in conjunction with the accompanying 204 drawing, in which: Y'

Figure 1 is a plan view of the full bowling alley, showing a fragment of an adjoining alley; Fig. 2 is a fragmentary side elevation partly in section taken on the line Z-Zin Fig. 4,;

'25 f Fig. 3 is a fragmentary side elevation of the bowling alley; and

Fig. 4 is a fragmentary view of the transverse section of the bowling alley taken on the line 4"-"4 in Fig. 1; and 3g Y Fig. 5 is a View of an alternative form of support for the gutters and ball return.

\ Referring to the drawing, the reference numeral II designates the bowling alley bed which runs from left to right and full length of the bowling alley and terminates above the pit I2.

The pit I2 lies between the right end of the alley beyond the spots I6 for the pins and the back-'- stop I3.

Ordinarily two of these bowling alley beds are 4 w constructed adjacent each other, and in Fig. 1 fragment of the second alley bed is shown. Parallel and adjacent to the alley beds and running the full length thereof are 'the gutters' I4 on each side of the alley beds I'I. These gutters are intended to receive the balls which, in their passage down the bowling alley, leave the bed. v

Adjacent each bed, and mounted between the gutters I4 where two alleys are constructed'adjacent each other, is the return ball guide |5`by which balls which have completed their passage over the length of the alley and into the pit I2 are returned to the player.

The features thus far described are found in 55; some form in all bowling alleys.. In the bowling` alleyshown in-:the drawing and described in this specification the structure itself is novel.

` 'As seen in Fig.`3, andr indicated in dotted lines in Fig. 1, two series of posts I 'I lare mounted in thegroundl as ajfoundation for each bowling alley. Each of these posts is capped by a cap I8, and the posts are so placed that these caps are all at substantially the same height above the ground. Securedto the tops' of the caps by lagV bolts 20 are a pair of longitudinal beams I9, 10 which extend the full length o f the bowling alley bed andv may be formed in convenient lengths for facility in handling as indicated by the joint |-9a where adjoining sections meet. Thelongtudinal beams I9 may be in theform of angle iron rails. 15"

, Mounted above the beams |9 are longitudinal rails 2| running thefulllength of the alley bed I I. .These rails are'also formed of angle iron and, as indicatedr by the joint 2|a.,may alsobe made Vup inconvenient lengths. The joints 2|a 20 are preferably located intermediate the joints IIIcL.y

The rails 2| are fastened to the beams I9 at intervals by the bolts 22 by which the respective bases of the angle iron members are adjustably secured together, and by the bolts 23. The bolts 25 23 pass through holes in the beams and slots in' the rails andjthus permit ,the rails tov bey raised and lowered by the bolts 22, and to be secured to the beams I9 at various levels. The rails 2| can by these simple adjustments be made perfectly 36. level throughout 4the full length of the alley bed II.

Secured to therails 2| arev a series of cross braces 24, also preferably made of -angle iron. These cross braces project fromthe base of each 3'5" of the rails 2|, and where two alleys are con,- structed adjacent each other, reach from the rail 2 lfuponthe far side of one alley yto the rail 2| on Y' the l'near `side of the adjoining alley.` Where only `a single alley is constructed the braces 24 vvare supported by simple brackets 24a reaching from the longitudinal beams I9 to the end of each brace24 as shownin Fig. 5.v

The cross braces 24 support the perpendicular pillars 28 and 29, upon which are'mounted the gutters I4v` and ball return guide I5, both constructed of lengths of sheet iron troughs with edges rolled.. vThelengths of trough are secured together by'flanges 3|) bent fromlthe ends ofthe troughs to form continuous gutters running the 5U full length of thealley bed I. Within each gutter and ball return guide is a wooden channel 3| to form tracks upon which the balls mayT roll. These channelsf3| are also constructed in convenient lengths,joined to form continuousl 55 channels running the full length of the alley bed.

Supported by the upper edges of the rails 2| are a continuous series of transverse bed plates 25, extending across the full width of the alley bed ll. These bed plates 25 are comparatively narrow and are laid snugly against each other to form an unbroken and substantially solid bed. The bottom of veach bed plate is grooved 32 near each end of the plate so that the plate may receive the upper edge of the rail 2l and be thus accurately positioned and locked against dislocation. Y

In Fig. 4 the bed plate 25 is shown in section as constructed from concretereinforced by the rods 26 running in different directionsl through the concrete mass. The plates may also be suitably constructed of other materials such as laminated wood blocks and heavy metal stampings.

The bed formed by the transverse bed plates 25 is covered with one or more layers 21 of suitable cementitious composition which will adhere to the bed plates 25 and can be finished to a smooth hard level surface.

The bowling alley herein described can be readily erected from the units referred to. Because of the type of construction, a level playing surface can be produced in any place and if any portion of the structure sags or becomes misaligned, simple adjustments will readily restore the structure.

The bowling alley is erected by driving or placing the posts Il in holes in the ground with their caps I3 substantially level. The beams I9 are then secured to the caps, and the rails 2|, with attached cross braces 24, secured to the beams. The rails can then be leveled by the adjusting screws 22 and locked in level position by the bolts 23, or the bed plates 25 rst laid in position and I the entire bed leveled by adjustment of the adjusting screws 22.

The surface 21 can then be applied and finished. Thereupon the gutters I4 and ball return guide I 5 can be mounted and the alley is ready for service.

If it is desired to remove the bowling alley from one location to another it is only necessary to disassemble the structure. Only the playing surface will be fractured and this can be readily replaced after the bowling alley is again erected.

Although the invention has been disclosed in connection With the specific details of a preferred embodiment thereof, it must be understood that such details are not intended tol be limitative of the invention except insofar as set forth in the accompanying claims.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim is:

1. In a bowling alley structure, the combination of spaced-apart rail means comprising angle beams supported in end to end relationship, floor means forming an alley floor supported by said spaced-apart rail means at the opposed edges of said floor means, said iloor means comprising concrete slab means having intertting relationship with said angle beams at the opposite edges of said oor'means to prevent lateral displacement of the floor means with respect to said rail means, and a surfacing layer, comprising a cementitious mastic, covering the upper surface of said floor means. y

2. In a bowling alley structure, the combination of spaced-apart rail means comprising angle beams supported in end to end relationship, floor means forming an alley floor supported by said spaced-apart rail means at the opposed edges of said floor means, said floor means comprising concrete slab means having intertting relationship with said angle beams at the opposite edges of said floor means to prevent lateral displacement of the concrete slab means with respect to said rail means, reinforcing means for said concrete slab means extending substantially between the opposite sides of the floor, and a surfacing layer, comprising a cementitious mastic, covering the upper surface of said concrete slab means.

3. In a bowling alley structure, the combination of spaced-apart rail means comprising angle beams in end to end relationship, floor means forming an alley floor supported by said rail means'at the opposed edges of said floor means, said angle beams having interfitting relationship with said floor means to prevent lateral displacement of the oor means with respect to the rail means, means forming gutters extending at the opposed edges of said floor means, and means for supporting said gutters on said rail means.

4. In a bowling alley structure comprising adjacent alleys, each comprising spaced-apart rails and floor means supported by said rails at the opposed edges of said floor means, gutter support means carried by and between the adjoining rails of the adjacent alleys, and means forming gutters on said support means, including an edge gutter extending along each of the facing edges of the floors of the adjacent alleys.

5. In a bowling alley structure comprising adjacent alleys, each comprising spaced-apart rails and floor means supported by said rails at the opposed edges of said floor means, gutter support means carried by and between the adjoining rails of the adjacent alleys, means forming gutters on said support means, including an edge gutter eX- tending along each of the facing edges of the floors of the adjacent alleys, and a ball return' gutter on said support means in position extending between said edge gutters.

6. In a bowling alley structure comprising adjacent alleys, each comprising spaced-apart rails and floor means supported by said rails at the opposed edges of said floor means, gutter support means carried by and between the adjoining rails of the adjacent alleys, means forming edge gutters on said support means along each of the facing edges of the adjacent alleys, means forming a ball return alley, and means supporting the ball return alley on said support means in position between said edge gutters and at a different elevation.

7. In a bowling alley structure comprising adjacent alleys, each comprising spaced-apart rails and iioor means supported by said rails at the opposed edges of said floor means, gutter support means carried by and between the adjoining rails of the adjacent alleys, means forming edge gutters on said support means along each of the facing edges of the adjacent alleys, means forming a ball return alley, and means supporting the ball return alley on said support means in position between said edge gutters, the facing edges of said edge gutters being separated by a distance less than the Width of the return gutter, the return and edge gutters being disposed at different elevations and in relative position such that their vertical projections are in overlapping relationship.

8. In a bowling alley structure, the combination of spaced-apart rail means comprising angle beams in end to end relationship, floor means forming an alley floor supported by said rail means at the opposed edges of said floor means.

said angle beams having intertting relationship with said oor means to prevent lateral displacement of the floor means With respect to the rail means, gutter means extending along the edge of said floor means and supported on said rail means, said gutter means comprising sheet metal channels, and means forming a pair of spacedapart, upstanding ribs on the bottom of said metal channels to provide ball tracks therein.

9. In a bowling alley structure, the combination of spaced-apart rail means comprising angle beams in end to end relationship, floor means forming anv alley floor supported by said rail means at the opposed edges of said floor means, said angle beams having intertting relationship with said floor means to prevent lateral displacement of the oor means with respect to the rail means, means forming gutters extending at the opposed edges of said floor means, means for supporting said gutters on said rail means, and means for leveling said floor means, comprising adjusting devices at intervals along said rail means and operable to level the floor and gutter means by adjusting the elevation of the rail means on which the oor and gutter means are both carried.

10. In a bowling alley structure, the combination of spaced-apart rail means comprising angle beams supported in end to end relationship, oor means forming an alley licor supported b-y said spaced-apart rail means at the opposed edges of said oor means, said oor means comprising concrete slab means having interfitting relationship With said. angle beams at the opposite edges of said floor means to prevent lateral displacement of the floor means with respect to'said rail means, a surfacing layer, comprising a cementitious mastic, covering the upper surface of'said floor means, and means for leveling said oor means, comprising adjusting devices at intervals alongy said rail means and operable to level the oor.

THEODORE R. TREIBER. 

